8 Common Symptoms of COPD

Senior Care in Concord NC

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a lung disease that can make breathing extremely difficult for your elderly loved one. This complex disease is made up of several different lung conditions, among them emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Your loved one may have a combination of these lung issues, which makes treatment highly individualized. It helps to have an understanding of some of the symptoms of COPD that your loved one might experience.

Shortness of Breath

Gradually your loved one may find that he is short of breath during normal activities, even if he’s in otherwise decent shape. The COPD makes it difficult for him to get the air that he needs. This can grow worse as the disease progresses.

Wheezing While Breathing

As your loved one breathes, it’s difficult sometimes for his lungs to pull in air due to inflammation in his airways. This causes a wheezing sound when he’s breathing.

Chest Pain or Tightness

The inflammation and the constriction in your loved one’s airways often causes pain or tightness in the chest. Sometimes your loved one might mistake this for heartburn or even for heart pains. Chest pain or tightness can become worse with environmental issues, such as allergies or pollution.

Chronic Coughing

Chronic coughing is extremely common with people who have COPD. Because the airways are constricted, inflamed, and irritated, it can feel as though there is something lodged, so your loved one’s body tries coughing to remove that restriction.

Excess Mucus in the Lungs

Along with the feeling of restricted breathing, there can be excess mucus in your loved one’s lungs which can cause true restrictions. Your loved one may find that the mucus is worse when he wakes up in the morning or when he gets up after lying down for a long nap.

Lack of Energy

Patients with COPD may find that they don’t feel as energetic as they once did. This can be a side effect of being unable to breathe as well as they did in the past. It can also come on as a side effect of exacerbations, or periods in which the COPD flares up because those take a lot out of your loved one.

Weight Loss

Because it takes so much energy just to breathe, your loved one’s body burns more calories than it used to burn. He may also find it difficult to swallow or to eat, which can cause him to eat less and therefore experience unintended weight loss.

Respiratory Infections

Respiratory infections are unfortunately very common for COPD sufferers. Their lungs are already at a disadvantage, so germs easily take root and cause infections. Talk to your loved one’s senior care providers and medical team for tips about how to reduce the risk of these infections.

If your loved one has been diagnosed with COPD, be on the lookout for symptoms that may indicate that your loved one’s condition is progressing.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Concord, NC, contact the caring professionals at TenderHearted Home Care today. Call us at (704) 612-4132.

Source
http://www.webmd.com/lung/copd/tc/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd-overview